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If you've upgraded your older version of Windows OS to an all new Windows 10 operating system then you may have noticed an advertisement appearing on your desktop or laptop’s lock screen over the past couple of days.

Yes, this is what Microsoft has chosen to generate revenue after offering Free Windows 10 Download to its users: Monetize the Lock Screen.

Thanks to Windows 10's new Spotlight feature that usually shows you clean and beautiful photographs and fun facts on your lock screen, but now started displaying advertisements to over 200 Million devices running Windows 10.

Some Windows 10 users have reported seeing ads for Rise of the Tomb Raider with links to Windows Store from where users can purchase the video game. Microsoft started selling the game last month.

Here's How to Turn the Ads OFF

The advertisements are because of the Windows Spotlight feature in your Personalization settings.

If you don't want to see these intrusive ads, follow the steps given below to disable Windows Spotlight:

Open the Start Menu and look for 'Lock Screen Settings.'

Under 'Background,' Choose either 'Picture' or 'Slideshow,' instead of Windows Spotlight.

Now, Scroll down to 'Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen' and uncheck this box.

The advertisements are turned ON for your lock screen by default, which is definitely a clever way to offer companies to reach their customers, without mentioning the word 'advertisements' to the Windows users.

Microsoft has just issued a clear warning saying Windows 7 users should remain on the aging operating system "at your own risk, at your own peril."

But why particularly Windows 7 Users?

Since Windows 7 runs on 55 percent of all the computers on the planet, Microsoft is worried that its goal to reach 1 Billion Windows 10 installations by 2017 could be harder.

During a recent interview with the Windows Weekly, Microsoft chief marketing officer Chris Capossela warned about the risks of using Windows 7 and urged users that it's time to switch to the new Windows 10 operating system instead.

Capossela also stressed that Windows 7 is apparently less secure than Windows 10, so it is "so incredibly important to try to end the fragmentation of the Windows install base" as well as to get them to a "safer place."

Here the so-called safer place Microsoft means is its newest operating system Windows 10.

Microsoft is Worried For us. Really?

Here’s what Capossela worried for Windows 7 Users:

"We do worry when people are running an operating system that’s 10 years old that the next printer they buy isn’t going to work well, or they buy a new game, they buy Fallout 4, a very popular game, and it doesn’t work on a bunch of older machines.

And so, as we are pushing our ISV [Independent Software Vendor] and hardware partners to build great new stuff that takes advantage of Windows 10 that obviously makes the old stuff really bad and not to mention viruses and security problems."

Do you notice any problem with Capossela’s statement? I did, the warning is entirely baseless.

There is nothing wrong with the security of Windows 7 as the operating system will be supported by the company until 2020, neither Windows 7 is less compatible with new hardware and software.

In fact, Windows 7 has a greater market share, which means the operating system is developers’ first choice over Windows 10 as well as the OS has greater compatibility with legacy programs and peripherals.

Fallout 4 not running on Windows 7 computers is also not true, as the blockbuster video game is fully compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines. Also, in case, the game do not run, no one will be installing Windows 10 to fix it, rather it will be upgrading your components.

Oh! Come On Microsoft, We Know...

The only reason behind this statement is Microsoft’s target of getting one Billion devices running Windows 10 by 2017 or mid-2018, and the motivation is quite clear with the following statement by Capossela:

"We think every machine that is capable of running Windows 10 we should be doing everything we possibly can to get people to move to Windows 10…We are going to try to find that right balance, but we just know there're many people out there who constantly kick the can down the street without a little bit more of a, frankly, push.

And so, there’s no doubt with a base as big as ours, it is hard to move anyone to a new model without angering some people. We don’t want to anger anybody, but we do feel a responsibility to get people to a much better place, and Windows 10 is a much better place than Windows 7. We will always give you a way out, but we’re trying to find the right balance."

This isn’t Microsoft’s first trick to force users to install its newest operating system. Microsoft previously tried a number of times to push Windows 10 more aggressively on systems running Windows 7 and 8.1.

We know that technically Microsoft is giving an option to users, but by enforcing annoying pop-ups every time, removing opt-out options as well as threatening average user with baseless warnings, it appears there is no choice for users at all.

So, it should be completely our choice whether we want to switch to Windows 10 or not, or the better option is to switch on to Linux operating system.

If you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and have no plans to switch to Windows 10, then Microsoft could force you to install Windows 10, making it harder for you to cancel or opt-out of upgrading.

Note: Above image has been photoshopped, but the original screenshot taken by Windows users is given below.

Reports are circulating that some Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users are claiming that the latest Windows 10 OS has begun to automatically install itself on their PCs.

According to complaints by users, Windows Update screen is only offering them the option to either:

Start the upgrade process, or

Reschedule the upgrade for a later date

Other users are finding that the dialog boxes they are presented display a message saying that the "Upgrade to Windows 10 is Ready," and prompting users to "Restart your PC to begin the installation."

The issue actually resided in the Windows Update process. Microsoft has listed Windows 10 as an "Optional" update, and normally these updates are unticked, meaning a user has to manually check them to install the OS – it shouldn't be installed automatically.

However, Microsoft mistakenly checked these updates while listing them, which results in automatically installing Windows 10 on some computers running Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1.

When reached out to Microsoft, the company said that the issue occurred with an optional update in Windows Update that was checked by default. Microsoft has now acknowledged the issue and reverted the checkbox, calling it "a mistake."

Mistake? Oh Really?

Here's the full official statement provided by Microsoft's spokesperson to Ars:

"As part of our effort to bring Windows 10 to existing genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers, the Windows 10 upgrade may appear as an optional update in the Windows Update (WU) control panel. This is an intuitive and trusted place people go to find Recommended and Optional updates to Windows. In the recent Windows update, this option was checked as default; this was a mistake, and we are removing the check."

Just last month, Microsoft was caught downloading the Windows 10 installer files – large gigabytes in size – to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, even without their knowledge.

Now this recent so-called mistake by Microsoft shows that how much the company is desperate to bring Windows 7 and Windows 8 users onto Windows 10, but there is a fine line between desperation and trust which the company has crossed many times.

On Monday, public release of Microsoft’s Windows 10 for IoT Core, offering support for the Raspberry Pi 2 and the Minnowboard Max, was made available.

Microsoft’s goal of spreading Windows 10 to a Billion user is going to get fulfilled with this specially trimmed edition for small and embedded devices, that may or may not have screens.

Also for devices with screens, Windows 10 IoT Core operating system does not have a Windows shell experience; rather you can write a Universal Windows app that is the interface and ‘personality’ for your device.

It’s neither the Windows, as we already are familiar with, nor a substitute for the Windows desktop, instead Windows 10 IoT Core is a single full-screen Universal Windows app.

A single app at a point of time will be visible to the users accessing the system while the additional software can be run in the background. Apps are loaded onto the Raspberry Pi from a Windows 10 desktop machine.

Windows 10 on the Raspberry Pi board will not run traditional Windows desktop applications, such as Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Office. As these are incompatible with the Raspberry Pi's ARM-based hardware.

The universal Windows app are developed to run on different types of devices mainly PCs, phones, tablets, Xboxes and IoT-related machines like the Raspberry Pi.

Universal Windows apps adapt their look and feel based on which device they are running on.

Apps work intelligently, in a manner by keeping the app alive even if any feature is not compatible with a particular platform i.e. the app will work and not ultimately go unavailable, but some features may not work along.

The Universal Windows apps mechanism will generate more manpower, as the apps development would require Visual Studio 2015, Microsoft's Integrated Development Environment for its platforms whose Community edition can be downloaded for free.

Apps can be developed using a range of languages, such as C# or Visual Basic with XAML, C++ with DirectX and/or Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), or JavaScript with HTML.

Microsoft is primarily promoting Windows 10 IoT Core as an Operating System that makes it easier to create IoT devices with or without a display.

What encouraged Microsoft to come out of cocoon was the Raspberry Pi’s low price and ability to control a range of hardware via its General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) pins with which the Windows 10 IoT core edition will go smoothly and delivering better performance.

Steve Teixeira, who heads the program management team for the Internet of Things division quoted "IoT Core is designed to have a low barrier to entry and make it easy to build professional-grade devices. It's designed to work with a variety of open source languages and works well with Visual Studio."

Since a beta version was released and previewed in May at Microsoft's Build developer conference, ‘Windows 10 IoT Core’ has been updated with significant new functionality, including WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Microsoft's IoT team and Pi-owners have been busy building since the preview, also new in the official release is improved support for Python and Node.js. Additionally, a new Express Node.js project template is available.

The apps development would require an environment i.e. a PC running Windows 10, Build 10240 or later, to create and deploy apps to the Pi based systems, as well as a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B board.

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